Musical and tight bass

Lack of power, insufficient energy togive phisical sensation

This subwoofer is quiet as a graveyard at the dead of night. But once it receives musical signal it could produce low enough bass to wake the dead. Low piano notes come on cleary with pure musicality and most important tight with each stoke of key. On watching deep blue sea, you can really feel the rumble in most scenes. The quality of bass is very good, without any harshness at all. Generally difficult to tell where the bass come from. I would recommend this sub for anyone who enjoy music as much as movie. It will complement your tower speakers. As for velodyne, it generates hugh energy which is good for hometheater but really fail desparately in music. Not for anyone who listen to music as much as watching movie.

Similar Products Used:

Atlantic tech, velodyne HGS

Bass is as clean and sharp as new surgical instruments
Bass is as huge as stampeding Brontosaurs

Wife about keeled over when she saw it in the corner (large)

First, my system:
Denon AVR3300
Paradigm Reference Studio 100 v.2
Paradigm Reference Studio CC v.2
Paradigm Reference Studio ADP v.2
Paradigm Servo-15
Misc. Monster Cables
Sony 530D DVD player

Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too? The most obvious thing about this is its tremendous bass output. Yet the bass I get out of it and the Studio 100's is the cleanest I've heard.

Taking advantage of the great bass from my Studio 100's, I have them set to "large" in the Denon 3300 so my comments concern the both the Paradigm Studio 100's as well as the Servo-15. My living room as about 15 feet deep and quite wide with the staircase and formal dining room to the left. The Servo fills the entire room with consistant bass. Using a Radio Shack digital sound meter, I get only one dB variation across the entire listening area.

First the rumble. The bass is incredible. Watching special effects movies is pure pleasure. The Fifth Element, Dragonheart, Saving Private Ryan, The Matrix, etc. etc. Especially noteable is the scene of The Fifth Element near the beginning when the alien ship is leaving Earth. The ship is preparing to take off and is clicking and clanking. There is a very, very deep clunk that you don't really hear, but can really feel! It is most gratifying to watch movies like this with friends and see their surprised looks at these moments. Not only is it loud (when cranked up) but quite realistic. When something explodes, there is a loud bang, then silence, no buzzing or trailing sound.

Next the precision. When I first hooked up the system, movies sounded great, but music sounded good. I could sense something was lacking in the bass. After a few weeks of break in perhaps it was better, but hard to tell. Long term audio memory is lacking in humans. I then decided to put the Studio 100's on their spikes, what a difference! Now the bass was clean as can be. When I listen to good recordings I can actually hear the bass strings being plucked and the slight tonal variations as the strings work their way through their various modes of vibrations. Drum beats are quick and sharp. This is so unlike any previous audio equipment I have owned I am amazed. In normal systems you don't even hear true bass, just the higher frequency distortion harmonics of the bass note. I have the receiver set to flat frequency response and the Servo-15 set to equal sound levels as the other speakers, yet there is plenty of bass. On cheapy equipment you must hit the "loud" button or make the "smile" with the equalizer controls attempting to get some sound out of the lacking equipment.

Of course part of this cleanness is from the servo control. The electronics can tell the velocity of the woofer cone and correct it instantly. This also helps with reducing distortion and increasing frequency responce. In electronics (I'm an Electronics Engineer) this is known as a closed loop control system with negative feedback. What the electronics does is trade off gain for the improved sound. It is very easy to get high gain in amplifiers but to get a large 15 inch cone to travel with flat frequency response and low distortion is quite tuff. The negative feedback does the trick, trading off simple gain for precision sound. This is harder to do at higher frequencies (there are no servo controlled tweeters) but works well for subwoofers.

Also the woofer is totally non-locatable. The deep bass fills the room but you don't hear anything coming from the corner where it is. If you listen to a subwoofer that doesn't do this, (Bose & Hsu) it is quite distracting. Any deep notes come from the corner of the room, not from the screen, quite annoying and distracting.

I am so pleased with the sound I haven't yet used the Paradigm supplied crossover. I simply hook the Servo directly to the LFE of the Denon 3300 and couldn't be happier. Maybe some day...

Similar Products Used:

Listened to many, Polk, Klipsch, etc. even Bose

Low, Low Extension

Lacks impact in the 60-100 Hz range.

If you have tower speakers with decent low frequency extension, I would recommend this sub hands down over any other - simply phenomenal. However, if you are using smaller satellites, I would recommend a more conventional, non-servo drive unit. When paired with satellites, you will miss some of the impact of bass guitar lines. This sub is designed to pick up where most towers lose their effectiveness - in the 40 Hz and under range. Highly recommended in this application.

Similar Products Used:

Velodyne, B&W.

DEEP, FAST, AND POWERFUL BASS

LARGE SIZE

NOT MUCH MORE I CAN SAY ABOUT THIS SUB THAT HASN'T ALREADY BEEN SAID. IT IS THE BEST

Similar Products Used:

VELODYNE, HSU, M&K, BAG END

Bass is tight and detailed, incredible sound and build quality.

Size only.

I purchased this sub with an entire Paradigm package. I was not initially looking for a sub until my local Paradigm dealer said I could get 20% off for this if I purchased this with a Center, Fronts and surrounds. This was the best purchase I have made yet. I purchased this sub to go with the Studio 100's V2, Reference CC and ADP surrounds. This setup was different than what the dealer had setup in their show room. They had a set of Studio 40's up front with all the other components staying the same. I was shocked when I sat down an listened to this setup. There were other people in the room and they were also amazed by the performance of this setup. The Servo 15 is at home when complmented with the rest of the Paridigm line-up. What I noticed the most was that this sub was clean. I mean really clean. It is almost transparent until the scene dictates chaos or explosions. Then the room and walls start shaking and you feel every vibration and effect that make the the whole home theater experience enjoyable. I have heard other systems with REL's, Velo's and other subs but the Servo just did everything right. Some of these other subs are way to over-powering. You need to here the dialog and other sounds in a movie as well. If all you want is booming bass buy another sub and put a box over you head because that is the difference between this sub and the others I listened to.

Its clean, powerful and it works so very well with music. Some of the negative reviews posted here are are completely unjustified.

A must listen if you are looking for a sub.

I give it a 4 for the value rating because $1500 is kind of steep, it can be purchased for much less.

Similar Products Used:

VELO, REL, POLK

tight, accurate

easy to overdrive, low power

I bought one of these a few months ago and noticed a slight rattle behind the upper area of the cone when I tried to take the level anywhere near the half-way mark at a moderately high listening volume. Onkyo 777 receiver and Pioneer dv-05 dvd/cd player. From talking with others I came to the conclusion that the sub was defective. It just didn't seem right that the sub could be driven to the point of rattling it's frame at such a relatively low volume. I returned it and get another new one. Same thing happened. Now I've come to the conclusion that this sub, as tight and accurate it is, just isn't capable of producing chest-thumping bass. It does get loud enough for you to lose your hearing if you're not careful but I guess with only a few hundred watt amplifier one shouldn't expect demolition and chest-thumping type bass. Another reviewer mentioned the inaccuracies in the upper sub range and I would tend to agree with him.

But I do like this sub and wouldn't mind having another one. Heck, I wouldn't mind having 3 more for each corner of the room. :) Also, remember that placement is critical and I may simply not have it placed it in the right spot, but overall it is a nice sub that performs as delivered within a reasonable price range.

It seems everyone likes to give out 5 stars like they're going out of style. IOW, my 3 stars is probably equal to everyone else's 5 stars. It just seems ludicrous to think anything is PERFECT. This sub performs as described, but as with all things in existence, it isn't perfect.

Incredible output,external crossover

size

Got this sub about 3 weeks ago from the poor guy below whose wife said it was to big and had to go after he had just bot it.Picked it up for under $1000.00 delivered, including crossover.All I can is that the sheer output from this sub completely fills my 22x18x12 living room with hardwood floors and vaulted ceiling. Sold my M&K sub to buy this .The M&K sub was an excellent sub and probably a little more musical, but I wanted something with more bottom end punch and boy does this sub deliver. Put the new Haunting dvd in and tun the gain up about half way and prepare to knock some pictures of your wall.I'm running from my LFE out on my Yamaha 2095. Just ordered a pair of Sound Dynamics RTS-P100's, They have 2 6.5 drivers in each drivin by a 100 watt internal amp.That shold give the perfect mid punch to blend with the Sevo-15's low end.Check the reviews on the RTS-P100 if your in the market for some new powered towers, I think you will be impressed.Call mike at AM Sound # 800-889-5845 if you want a good deal.I'll do a review on the Sound Dynamics when I receive them.

Similar Products Used:

MK MX125II

Power

Big (if that's a problem)

This is one big box of raw power bass.
I use this for my home theather setup. It performs extremely nice. This is the best sub i've ever heard.
It's very fast and tight, deep and powerfull.
Since this sub is fast it also performs well on music.
Check it out before you buy your next sub, you wont be
dissapointed.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, Mirage

Deep, smooth, musical bass

Difficult placement. It stands out wherever you put it. Get the rosewood version if you have the extra cash.

I’ve had this sub now for about a month and thought it was time for me to make my contribution to this site to show appreciation and support.

The Servo 15 is simply awesome! I paid about $1,500 CDN for this sub (double my budget) from Audio One in Toronto, Canada (tell then Conrad sent you). It only took about 20 minutes in the listening room comparing other subs (PS1200, PW2200 and PW2500) to realize how good this one was. When adjusted correctly, the server 15 is barely noticeable. Sometimes scenes will come along where all you feel (and I mean feel!) is a low rumble and you wonder: Shouldn’t there be more bass in that scene? Is the sub turned down too low? You resist temptation to turn up the volume… Then, WHAM, BOOM! All hell breaks loose and you know the sub is working. The bottom end is so seamlessly and smoothly integrated into the sound stage that you can be fooled into thinking that your main speakers have simply gotten better. On some scenes where the overall volume isn’t loud (this sub doesn’t add anything that isn’t a part of the original movie) you’re not sure the sub is turned on at all. Then all of a sudden, the place starts to shake (like an earthquake or training passing through your living room), yet there is still no increase in the overall volume level of the movie. You just feel like you are moving out of your seat and the house is about to cave in, then the scene switches and dead silence! This 15” driver is fast and very responsive (the servo controlled driver is the key).

The X30 controller does not come with the unit (despite some of the literature), it’s a $200 CDN add on. If you have a sub out on your processor with a low enough cut-off, you don’t really need it. Another advise is to get a good interconnect cable – don’t be cheap – this sub deserves it.

So far the only complaint I have is placement. The sub is so big that it’s a bit difficult to hide in almost any room (they also have a very nice rosewood version for $300 extra that looks like fine furniture). I can’t say enough about this sub, there might be others that are just as good, but for $1,500, it’s a steal. Even my fiancé (who hates bass because it gives her a headache) really likes this sub (no headaches or listening fatigue).

Thanks to everyone who’s reviews put me onto this sub.


Conrad

Similar Products Used:

Other servo controlled subs cost more so I didn't bother to look at any. I did check out the lower models: PS1200, PW2200, PW2500

Incredibly tight, clean, musical bass
Beautiful cherry finish

Guaranteed to infuriate neighbors if used in an apartment
Rather large (I'm now used to it)

Let me just say that I've researched speakers for well over a year since I've been waiting for the wife to finish school. This is the best value TRUE subwoofer on the market. I didn't plan on buying this sub so soon, but when I went to a store in Georgia over Christmas break to demo the Paradigms to my audiophile brother, they had a Servo-15 in the real cherry finish for only $900 since it had the slightest dent in the rear corner (almost invisible). Seeing this as a sign from the heavens, I quickly bought the sub, (without consulting the wife), and I haven't regretted it for a minute. It absolutely fills the room with bass on music (especially reggae or the beginning track from Sting's Brand New Day album), and rocks the place for movies.
I have listened to other subwoofers, including the Velodyne, and while the Velodyne does have more power, it's not necessarily better, especially for movies. If you're so fanatical about bass that you find this sub doesn't have enough power (or have an extremely large room), you could get two of them for only slightly more than the Velodyne, and they would still sound better on music tracks.
I haven't found the power of this sub to be lacking at all, personally. It successfully massages my internal organs and makes my wife think we're having an earthquake.
The cherry wood finish is absolutely gorgeous, which makes up for its large size.
For the intellectually-challenged reviewer who complained about its short travel (1" peak-to-peak) driver, I can only say that this is actually an advantage: The driver is light and efficient, and its compact motion allows it to correct itself (via the Servo mechanism) quickly, so that it has a level of distortion which is virtually inaudible. The bass driver is capable of keeping pace with rapidly changing effects in movies and music, and it's not at all lacking in power, as my neighbors can attest. I'll take tight clean, accurate bass anyday over sheer volume.

In short, this sub is my pride and joy, and I wouldn't trade it for any other subwoofer on the market.

My neighbors hate it, except when they're over to watch movies.

I can't wait to get the Reference 100s.